I went to the supermarket for groceries and planned to get a roasted chicken for lunch, but I bought peri peri butterflied chicken instead. I found pomegranate arils, which were pricey, but I needed them for my dinner garnish. I couldn’t find any inexpensive green leafy vegetables today. My sister and dad went fishing and brought me mussels, which I decided to add to my baked peri peri chicken and rice.
Google: “Mussel is the common name used for members of several families of bivalve molluscs, from saltwater and freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other edible clams, which are often more or less rounded or oval.”
Did you know “Mussels are a clean and nutritious source of protein, as well as being a great source of omega 3 fatty acids, zinc and folate, and they exceed the recommended daily intake of selenium, iodine and iron. Mussels are sustainably farmed with no negative impact to the environment.”
The rice and peri peri chicken are cooked perfectly, and fragrant with spices. Also, the mussels are sweet and intensely flavoured with wine and stock. My dinner looks colourful, comforting, and delicious. Let’s cook!!!
Ingredients
1 packet peri peri chicken, about 1.2 kg, room temperature
1 onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 Tbs minced garlic
60 g butter
1 Tbs oil
300 g basmati rice
8 cardamom pods, lightly pound
8 cherries tomatoes, cut in half
6 cloves
4-6 lemon skin strips
3 bay leaves
3 star anise
2 cinnamon sticks
1 sprig lemon thyme
1 3/4 c hot chicken stock, microwaved it
1 1/4 c hot boiling water
1/4 c white wine (OPT)
salt
pepper
Steamed mussels in wine stock
1 kg mussels, debeard, and wash
1 Tbs proactive margarine
1 Tbs minced garlic
8 cherries tomatoes, halved
4 chilies, two deseed, two left the seed, cut thinly
1/2 c stock, plus about 5 Tbs extra
1/4 c dry white wine
leftovers rocket leaves
salt
pepper
Garnish
pomegranate arils
Method
Baked peri peri chicken and rice
Preheat oven 180 degrees C. Soak basmati rice for 15 minutes, drain well and set aside. Heat butter and oil in cast iron pot on medium heat, when butter melted add onion and garlic, cook for about 5 minutes. Mix all the extra rub flavouring ingredient in a bowl and set aside.
Add rice mix, stir well to coat in butter and oil. Then add all the spices, herb, cherries tomatoes and lemon skins and cook for 1 minutes. Pour stock, water and wine. Then put chicken on top of rice. Cover with lid. Bake for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes up remove the lid, pull cast iron pot out a bit from oven.
Spray oil on chicken for some glossy look. Then bake further 30-40 minutes uncovered until liquid absorbed and the rice and chicken are cooked. Switch off oven, leave chicken and rice in oven with door close for 10 minutes.
Steamed mussels in wine stock
In a deep wide sauce pan heat margarine over medium heat. When margarine melted and start bubbling, stir in garlic and cook for about 4 minutes. Add wine, stock, cherries tomatoes, chilies, mussels and rocket leaves, gives a good toss, making sure it’s one layer. Season with pepper. Cover with lids and cook the mussels until all have opened for 6-10 minutes. Discard any unopened, they are dead.
Once cooked: mussels are opened, remove lid and saucepan from heat taste if needed salt and more pepper. Using tong, I lined mussels in rows in serving plate and then spoon wine stock onto mussels.
Note: You can add more wine: 1c instead of 1/2 c. Less stock: 1/4 c instead of 1/2 c. You can omit chilies. You can use parsley instead of rocket leaves. You can add three colour capsicums to gives some colour instead of cherries tomatoes. You may add about 5 Tbs of cream to make cream sauce or tom yum paste for sweet and sour flavour.
Remove baked peri peri chicken and rice from oven after 10 minutes standing. Remove cooked chicken to chopping board and cut to bite pieces. Fluff up rice, removed all the spices especially bay leaves. Spoon rice and chicken pieces on to bowls. Followed by steamed mussels in wine stock. Garnished with pomegranate arils. Serve with a glass of white wine. Enjoy!!!!
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